Mole / Skin Tag Removal
What’s the Difference Between a Mole and a Skin Tag?
Moles and skin tags are skin growths that appear for different reasons. While both are usually harmless, one carries a higher risk for cancer than the other.
What is a mole?
Moles, or nevi, are benign tumors that form when skin cells called melanocytes produce clusters of darker pigment, called melanin. Congenital moles are present at birth, whereas you can develop new moles later in life.
What are the symptoms of a mole?
Common moles are usually begin and stay the same size, color, shape, and texture.
These are:
- round and symmetrical, with a well-defined border
- less than 1/4 inch across
- flat or raised
What is a skin tag?
Skin tags are flesh-toned or brownish outgrowths that hang from the skin surface. Your doctor may refer to them as acrochordons or fibroepithelial polyps. The papules consist of loose collagen fibers and ducts embedded within thicker areas of skin. They are also composed of nerve and fat cells as well as epidermis, which is the outermost skin layer.
What are the symptoms of a skin tag?
Skin tags commonly form on your neck, eyelids, or other places where friction occurs and skin folds exist — for example, on the breasts, groin, or armpits. They form skin flaps or grow on a short stem, called a peduncle, and resemble tiny mushrooms with narrow stalks and smooth or irregular caps.
Skin tags usually start out as soft pinhead bumps when they first appear but may grow larger. Their stem lengths vary, and lesions can range in size from 2 millimeters to 1 centimeter, with some growing up to 5 centimeters.
Most skin tags do not cause pain or other symptoms. But large lesions may irritate the skin and cause discomfort if they sit where skin rubs against itself. Large skin tags can also cause pain if they burst or a blood clot forms when the stalk gets twisted.
What are the treatment options?
Our clinic offers numerous options for the treatment of Mole/ Skin tag Removal. The best treatment will ultimately depend on each patient’s unique needs. Contact us for more information.
Get started with a consultation with our experienced doctors to help you customize your own beauty.
